FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Otto Bremer Trust awards 105 grants totaling $6.5 million

SAINT PAUL, July 5, 2017 — The Otto Bremer Trust has awarded $6,515,105 million in grants as part of its most recent grantmaking cycle.

“We’re pleased to invest in organizations throughout the region that move communities forward in powerful and meaningful ways,” said Charlotte S. Johnson, co-CEO and trustee, OBT.

Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable trust established in 1944 by founder Otto Bremer, a successful banker and community business leader. OBT owns 92 percent of Bremer Bank and manages a diversified investment portfolio. The mission of OBT is to invest in people, places and opportunities in the Upper Midwest. Since its inception, OBT has invested more than $600 million in organizations throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and western Wisconsin.

A complete list of grants by state is included below.

Western North Dakota

Abused Adult Resource Center, Bismarck, ND, $100,000. For general operations to provide services and shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in a seven-county region in south-central North Dakota.

Arikara Community Action Group, Garrison, ND, $50,000. To provide Native American high school students with paid internships and out-of-school services.

Mercer County Women’s Action and Resource Center, Beulah, ND, $39,477. For general operations to provide services to victims of domestic and sexual violence and for prevention programming in local schools.

Minot Area Men’s Winter Refuge, Minot, ND, $40,000. For general operations to provide temporary shelter and support to homeless men.

Minot Public Schools, #1, Minot, ND, $100,000. For the Mid-Dakota Educational Cooperative to better identify, assess, and serve elementary students with behavioral and mental health issues.

New Rockford-Sheyenne School District #2, New Rockford, ND, $50,000. For construction of a new playground.

Red River Region

City of Dilworth, Dilworth, MN, $27,300. To provide safety outreach and community awareness opportunities to residents of Dilworth.

City of Warren, Warren, MN, $25,000. To provide access to health information, services, and resources to seniors over 65 years old in the Warren area.

Community Violence Intervention Center, Inc., Grand Forks, ND, $200,000. For general operating to support domestic violence, sexual assault, and community intervention programming in the Grand Forks area.

North Dakota Dental Foundation, Fargo, ND, $75,000. To fund the North Dakota Oral Health Coalition to expand and increase opportunities for integration, education, and access in North Dakota.

Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Red Lake, MN, $60,000. To provide access to equipment, technical assistance, and loan capital to help Red Lake families capitalize on the growing local and healthy foods economy.

Richland County, Wahpeton, ND, $54,129. To develop a community coalition for the creation of programming to prevent and reduce youth alcohol use in the Wahpeton area.

Rural Enrichment and Counseling Headquarters, Inc., Hawley, MN, $45,600. For general operations to meet basic needs and employment supports for people living in Clay, Norman, and Becker Counties.

Three Rivers Crisis Center, Inc., Wahpeton, ND, $34,070. For general operations to provide therapeutic counseling services to primary and secondary victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child sexual abuse in Richland County, North Dakota.

Central and Northern Minnesota

Aitkin Community Hospital, Inc. dba Riverwood Healthcare Center, Aitkin, MN, $175,000. To renovate and expand clinic space to support growth in physician services and enhanced access and care for patients, including a new kidney dialysis unit.

Aitkin County Habitat for Humanity, Aitkin, MN, $7,000. For general operations to provide long-term affordable housing in Aitkin County.

Initiative Foundation, Little Falls, MN, $100,000. To enhance the fiscal health of nonprofits and improve the quantity and quality of services to better serve the community and grow the management skills of the board and staff.

Leech Lake Financial Services, Cass Lake, MN, $50,000. For general operations to build assets and credit while supporting small business development on the Leech Lake Reservation.

Hospitality House of Owatonna, Owatonna, MN, $36,000. For general operations to provide housing, assistance and opportunities for homeless men to achieve self-sustainability.

Independent School District 206, Miltona, MN, $75,000. To support the construction of an accessible playground in Miltona, Minnesota.

Kinship of the Perham Area, Perham, MN, $25,000. For general operations to provide individual and group mentoring programs for youth in west central Minnesota.

Lifeworks Services, Inc., Eagan, MN, $25,000. To develop career opportunities for people with disabilities in a Mankato community business environment while improving skills, increasing financial stability, and self-reliance.

Literacy Volunteers of Southwest Minnesota, Marshall, MN, $35,000. For general operations to provide literacy services through tutoring, community partnerships, and advocacy.

Mankato Area Foundation, Mankato, MN, $75,000. For general operations to promote organizational effectiveness and sustainability, and to build capacity for enhanced donor relations and community impact.

United Way of Steele County, Owatonna, MN, $50,000. To pilot a program that will identify and create opportunities for New American parents to be engaged in school and community activities.

West Central Initiative, Fergus Falls, MN, $60,000. To support the replication of Early Childhood Dental Network (ECDN) coalitions.

Twin Cities Metropolitan Area

Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, Minneapolis, MN, $30,000. To close racial employment disparities in the Twin Cities region through advocacy, community organizing and negotiation.

Assistance League of Minneapolis St. Paul, Richfield, MN, $10,000. To provide elementary school uniforms and warm winter clothing to economically disadvantaged students in Minneapolis, Richfield and St. Paul public schools.

Athletes Committed to Educating Students, Minneapolis, MN, $50,000. For general operations to serve at-risk students in order to reduce and eliminate the academic achievement and opportunity gaps.

Blindness-Learning In New Dimensions, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, $20,000. For general operations to provide employment and life skills training for blind children, adults and seniors.

CAPI, USA, Minneapolis, MN, $50,000. For general operations to assist more than 4,000 immigrants and refugees to lead successful and productive lives in the Twin Cities.

Christian Recovery Center, Golden Valley, MN, $50,000. For general operations to provide professional mental health services to men, women and children, especially those with financial need and to provide treatment for those who have sexually offended & their victims.

Community Emergency Assistance Program, Inc., Brooklyn Center, MN, $60,000. For general operations to help families regain financial stability and maximize their ability to live independently and with dignity.

Community Emergency Service, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, $30,000. To alleviate food insecurity in the homebound elderly and disabled population, allowing them to remain independent and in their homes

Cookie Cart, Minneapolis, MN, $50,000. For general operations to serve low-income youth from communities of color by providing employment, life, and leadership programming.

CornerHouse Interagency Child Abuse Evaluation and Training Center, Minneapolis, MN, $35,000. For general operations to increase capacity to help more children, youth and vulnerable adults heal from the devastation of abuse and violence.

FamilyWise Services, Minneapolis, MN, $65,000. For general operations to build family stabilization to improve safety, economic health, and family well-being.

Good in the Hood, Minneapolis, MN, $35,000. For general operations to provide access to food, nutrition education and mobile grocery deliveries to seniors and low-income individuals with food insecurity.

House of Charity, Minneapolis, MN, $80,000. For general operations for housing, case management, meals and chemical/mental health for homeless adults in and near downtown Minneapolis.

Indigenous Peoples Task Force, Minneapolis, MN, $50,000. For general operations to improve the health and education of Native Americans.

James J. Hill Center, Saint Paul, MN, $35,000. For general operations to provide business development support and resources to entrepreneurs in the Twin Cities Metro Area.

Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health and Well-Being, Fridley, MN, $60,000. For general operations to provide accessible mental health services for individuals across Anoka County and the surrounding metro area.

Merrick Community Services, Saint Paul, MN, $50,000. For general operations to improve the lives of the residents of the East Side of Saint Paul by empowering individuals, strengthening families, and promoting their independence.

Muscular Dystrophy Association, Edina, MN, $30,000. To provide financial support for children from Minnesota and North Dakota only, ages 6-17 with neuromuscular disease to attend summer camp in Minnesota.

Oasis for Youth, Bloomington, MN, $55,000. For general operations to provide supportive services and resources for homeless youth in suburban Hennepin County.

Playworks Education Energized, Saint Paul, MN, $20,000. To provide elementary school youth with the opportunities to develop and practice early social and emotional skills.

Plymouth Christian Youth Center, Minneapolis, MN, $210,000. For general operations to provide at-risk youth with skills and supportive services and to provide capital support for a historic North Minneapolis community space.

Reading Partners, Oakland, CA, $40,000. To provide one-on-one literacy support for 450 low-income students in 11 Minneapolis and St. Paul schools.

Rebound, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, $30,000. For the Jordon House only programming to provide supportive housing and services to 14- to 21-year-old boys.

RECLAIM, Saint Paul, MN, $25,000. For general operations to support queer and transsexual youth wellness and self-reliance through accessible mental health support.

Regions Hospital Foundation, Saint Paul, MN, $100,000. To support the construction of a new 16-bed intensive residential treatment services facility in the East Metro.

Rêve Academy, Minneapolis, MN, $20,000. For general operations to provide underserved students the opportunity to explore careers in business, technology, and design.

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Saint Paul, MN, $60,000. For general operations to serve low-income immigrants and refugees by providing services that meet immediate needs.

Southside Family Nurturing Center, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, $75,000. For general operations to provide high-quality early intervention and prevention services to low-income families and children.

St. Stephen’s Human Services, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, $75,000. For general operations to assist homeless families and single adults in finding safe, stable housing and the support services needed to retain that housing.

The Dwelling Place, Columbia Heights, MN, $50,000. For general operations to provide safe transitional housing, supportive services, and educational programming for women and children fleeing abuse.

Union Gospel Mission Association of St. Paul, Saint Paul, MN, $75,000. To support the renovation of a new dental clinic to increase services to low-income patients.

United Family Practice Health Center dba United Family Medicine, Saint Paul, MN, $125,000. For general operations to provide comprehensive, accessible, and integrated primary, behavioral, and dental health care services for under-served individuals and families in Saint Paul.

Wallin Education Partners, Minneapolis, MN, $75,000. For general operations to provide scholarships and ongoing support for low-income students to attend four-year colleges.

West Hennepin Affordable Housing Land Trust, Minnetonka, MN, $40,000. For general operations to support growth and sustain affordable land trust home ownership opportunities across Western Hennepin County.

Wisconsin

ABC for Rural Health, Inc., Balsam Lake, WI, $100,000. For general operations to provide support for health care consumers and providers by helping Wisconsin families obtain, keep and use public and private health care coverage.

Jeremiah Program, Minneapolis, MN, $75,000. To develop programming in Rochester to provide Southeast Minnesota single mothers and their children opportunities and skills to be self-reliant.

PossAbilities of Southern Minnesota, Inc., Rochester, MN, $75,000. For general operations to provide opportunities for children and adults with disabilities to contribute to and connect with their community.

Minnesota Statewide

American Red Cross – Twin Cities Area Chapter, Minneapolis, MN, $184,770. To assist with the purchase of equipment critical for responding to emergencies and natural disasters.

Children’s Home Society of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, $50,000. To help youth and children living in foster care achieve stability through adoption and other permanency options.

Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Saint Paul, MN, $55,000. To positively impact the public knowledge, community discourse and public policy regarding sexual violence through the strategic use of media engagement throughout their statewide network.

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Inc., Saint Paul, MN, $150,000. For support of the Regional Chapters, which provide information, training, advocacy, and services to Greater Minnesota nonprofits and for support of capital renovations.

Philanthrofund Foundation, Minneapolis, MN, $50,000. To support an initiative that seeks to develop and introduce a new standard for inclusion of the LGBT community within philanthropy.

The Rose Ensemble, Saint Paul, MN, $120,000. To support sacred music performances and outreach programs in Greater Minnesota.

North Dakota Statewide

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation, Minot, ND, $100,000. For general operations to provide educational, psychiatric and residential support to at-risk youth and their families.

North Dakota Coalition for Homeless People, Inc., Bismarck, ND, $50,000. For general operations to build capacity, coordinate events, increase awareness, and advocate on behalf of the homeless and the providers of homelessness services.

Women and Technology dba Center for Technology and Business, Bismarck, ND, $50,000. For general operations for programs that develop leaders, build rural communities, and mentor entrepreneurs to create a stronger North Dakota economy.